Sticks and Stones May Break my Bones
by harmony551
Summary: Sharp words stung like one thousand tiny pins. For one pin was a mere nuisance, but one thousand pins bleed a person out. Even the strongest are brought down by the simplest of words. Steve is no exception. Yet the only thing he needs to get back up is his brother. Because in the end only your ohana picks you up and kills your insecurities. And Danno is a awesome brother.
1. Chapter 1

"Bloody hell, they forgot the cheese in my sandwich!" Danny groaned dropping the top bread onto his food tray with disgust.

Steve only forked his salad with eyebrows raised in half amusement, as Danny began to grumble and groan about the inhumanity of such a restaurant that would dare forget to properly fill a sandwich. He almost felt bad for the poor cashier as Danny picked up his tray and stalked over to the counter to probably continue ranting there, giving Steve's ear's a break.

Suddenly Steve didn't feel so bad for the casher.

It had been a relatively slow week in the 5-0 HQ, as the rest of the island seemingly took a magical break against all robberies, murdering and drug dealing. So rather than regular lunches spent quickly while working in the office, Steve and Danny had decided to go out for lunch in one of the town's quieter restaurants. Only three or four other people sat eating their meals. But then again, Steve mused, Danny talked enough for at least 10 people at once. He could already hear his parterre chewing out the poor kid at the counter. Said kid who desperately promised a new sandwich for free.

Snorting in amusement, Steve swiftly got up and threw his empty salad container and water bottle out. He shoved his hands in the pockets of his cargo pants and went back to his and Danny's table, turning the chair to the side so he sat facing out and giving his cramped legs a break from being practically stuck underneath the table. Rather than torturing his ears by listening to Danny bemoaning the loss of a good lunch, Steve glanced out the window.

Some naive and light part of him breathed in the blue sky and green palm trees, distantly framing the clear blue ocean. People dress colourfully milled about dotting Hawaii's natural green and blues, forming a magnitude of rainbows against Hawaii's canvas. He continued staring affectionally at his hometown fingering the rough tabletop. Distantly he registered Danny instructing the server with what toppings to fill in his sandwich. They would be late to HQ due to Danny's timing…but Steve could cut him some slack _this time._ Steve allowed his features to soften, as he took in this portrait to Hawaii.

A small snort and annoyingly sharp rustle of paper snapped Steve out of his reverie. He glanced to his far left to see a frowning woman seated and clutching a large newspaper. Her sharp glasses perched precariously at the edge of her nose. And then Steve heard her mutters, "…Bloody military, and whoever else. Who do they think they are?"

He started at that. Unfortunately, throughout his military career, Steve had come across people who seemed to be extremely prejudiced against those in the armed forces. He had learnt to let their words roll of his shoulders. However, inwardly he sighed at his luck. Just because he let it go, didn't mean It was not painful to listen to.

 _Your being too sensitive._ Some part of him frowned at his softer side. _Your emotions are clouding your judgement,_ his military side sounded oddly like his old commanding officer.

Shaking his head Steve found himself tuning the women's mutters back into focus, while pointedly staring at the floor. Much to his surprise, a man who had been sipping a coffee and engrossed in his phone shifted and glanced at the women. Lips turned down a few degrees and eyebrows up slanted slightly; Steve noted an expression of utter irritation and a hint of anger.

Sure enough the man spoke up, "something the matter ma'am?"

From the corner of his eye, Steve could see the women put down her paper and sigh loudly, effectively catching all the customer's attention on her side of the restaurant. She was an attention seeker.

"Yes." Her voice came out so much deeper than Steve expected. Immediately his mind painted an ominous image in his mind's eye. "Yes there is! I'm reading about some military mission in the paper here. And I think it is utter nonsense and a waste of government resources!"

At this point half of the room's attention, (thankfully not including the few people at the casher, like Danny) was on the women and her rather interesting rant. Steve forced his face into a neutral mask and pulled out his phone to pretend to be engaged in something else.

"Don't you think that people should go out and defend the nation though?" A meek looking woman piped up, fingering a paper nervously, with a small frown alighting her sharp features.

Mrs. Attention Seeker nearly snorted again. "When has War ever solved anything?" No one answered and so she continued to her audience: "Those men and women who go off to fight are just playing pawns and fighting and killing as a living. Isn't that what criminals do?"

Steve swallowed suddenly, and nervously. He had _never intended to kill as a living._ NO. He had simply wanted to help…

"- And they convince themselves that they help and are helping with peace. Pathetic if you ask me. Of course, that's why these people don't know how to fit back into civilian life...they become so full of their own so-called heroics that they cant find a damn job without causing a disruption in society! And don't get me started about those of elite task forces? Have you read about them? I certainly have, and ooooh let me tell you these SEALS and ground task forces those are much worse…"

Steve tuned the women out. Some small part of him was grateful that almost all her listeners were wearing some sort of disapproval or anger on there face. The women who had spoken up earlier had her mouth forced into a thin line.

But Danny, Danny always would rant on and on about Steve's inability to fit into society. He would complain about Steve's lack of police procedure and general attitude in conflict-resolution. But all those rants about him being uncivil, his deadly set of skills acquired in his military life, weren't they all jokes? A way for Danny to be endearing? So then why did this women's own rant coincide with Danny's?

Good god. Could there be such a truth to his actions?

He could suddenly see himself in a country in the middle east. He had stood with other SEALs, _**Brothers.**_ In his mind's eyes, he suddenly recalled one of the villages he and his team had scoured. A destroyed village, crushed by a cruel iron fist. They had scoured and searched and shifted through debris trying to find and save precious survivors, because by god, _each life was worth it._ A man had suddenly stumbled seemingly from out of the wreckage, his clothes layered in dust, crumbled asphalt and _blood_. He had grabbed the nearest uniformed man, which had been Steve.

" _Where's my son?" The man had sobbed, eyes desperate and hurt. Steve stared back wide eyed. For one of the first times in his life he didn't know how to respond. But Steve knew in that moment he would do anything to protect those innocent and shattered like the man in front of him._

 _Nick, god bless him, he had stepped forward and looked at the man with sincere yet desperate eyes. "We are trying sir. We are trying to find survivors. We were just recently notified about this situation and we will-"_

" _No." The man had gasped out and pulled away. His eyes, god his eyes, Steve thought. " Everything about this war wont solve anything. You lot are only killing people! What lives have you saved!?"_

 _Steve had stared back as the man's eyes found his. His team stood behind him silently. But all Steve could see was a loving and caring father spent in grief over a dead son. Some part of him understood... but it was hard. So hard to respond. To get the words out and say he understood this man's grief. So, they continued to search, and search scouring for precious survivors._

Steve swallowed and started at his phone. His hand fisted around it so tightly that he was surprised the device hadn't shattered. Smoothly pushing it back into his pocket, Steve got up and walked gracefully through the door of the restaurant, instantly leaving behind that women and her rant

 _I shouldn't be so damned affected by it…_ He thought and leant against the Camaro, tilting his head upward towards the clear Hawaiian sky. The clear blue of it, contrasted with his inner turmoil. For all he could really see was the lives he couldn't save, the deaths he could've prevented… and dear god, perhaps if had reacted differently in some of his missions, he could have saved lives. Would have ducking down made a difference there, or perhaps running away from the target would have meant leading his injured men to safety in that mission? He swallowed roughly again because… those failures were his fault… and he hadn't, and never wanted to be a _killer._


	2. Chapter 2

"That's right," Danny muttered tapping his fingers on the counter in an agitated pattern. Seeing what the cashier was doing he blew out a huge breath, as he threw his arms up in irritation. "Really? REALLY? Is that even a feasible proportion of horseradish and bread? I swear I am not happy, not happy at all-"

"-Sorry sorry." The younger man cringed and removed some of the sandwich filling. He continued fixing up Danny's sandwich while the detective watched on with agitated impatience.

He sighed again, and glanced backward to his partner who normally would've given him hell by now for extending the lunch break for so long. But Steve was bent over his phone. No. No, he wasn't bent over it. Danny craned his head and noticed the SEAL was simply holding onto it tightly, eyes staring blankly at a black screen. Well to Danny they were blank. To anyone else looking at those stormy eyes, it would look like Steve was planning a murder.

Raising his eyebrows at his partner's 1000-yard stare, Danny looked away and shimmied towards the counter to pay for his long-awaited meal.

"You sure you want to pay sir? We would like to offer you a free meal to compensate for-"

Danny cut the man off, "Yes, I want to pay," because seriously he knew he had given the cashier hell, but then again, he _did deserve it._

As the kid made the transaction, a rather loud conversation caught Danny's ears. Curious, he shifted and realized that it was more of a rant to the restaurant's customers, made by a rather irate looking woman.

He shifted towards the end of the counter to catch another, younger women nervously ask the 'ranter', "Don't you think that people should go out and defend the nation though?"

Ah, so it was one of _those_ controversial conversations. He handed his credit card to the cashier while listening with genuine curiosity.

"When has War ever solved anything?" The women replied with a passion Danny could appreciate. No one answered and so she continued to her audience: "Those men and women who go off to fight are just playing pawns and fighting and killing as a living. Isn't that what criminals do?"

At this Danny frowned and pursed his lips. As a cop, he _knew the difference_ between criminals and anyone else. His frown deepened, because this woman had _no right to_ even talk.

"- And they convince themselves that they help and are helping with peace. Pathetic if you ask me. Of course, that's why these people don't know how to fit back into civilian life...they become so full of their own so-called heroics that they cant find a damn job without causing a disruption in society! And don't get me started about those of elite task forces? Have you read about them? I certainly have, and ooooh let me tell you these SEALS and ground task forces those are much worse…"

At the mention of SEALs, Danny immediately remembered Steve and his earlier blank expression. Palms braced against the counter, he swiveled around, eyes searching.

Yes, there was his partner. Said partner whose expression was worryingly clear, with eerily calmed and focused eyes trained on the screen of his phone, and mouth in a tight, straight line. But his right hand betrayed that expression. It was gripping his phone so tightly, Danny was surprised it hadn't shattered. And yet the navy man still looked the picture of someone engaged in his phone, and not listening to a hateful rant. It was rather impressive, Danny decided. But Danny's appreciation of Steve's control of facial expressions faded away to anger as he realized what this all implied to the SEAL.

He frowned to himself, as the women ranted on and on. . She _was_ one of those with extreme and simply and utterly distorted views.

Much of what she said applied directly to Steve, on what he had done in the past. Suddenly Danny could swear he could feel his heart pump blood faster and faster to compensate for his rising anger towards this woman.

Said anger was momentarily stemmed as Steve smoothly got up, putting his phone in his pocket.

 _Give her the lecture of your life Steven._ Danny mentally yelled and cheered for his partner to shut up this sad excuse of a public speaker, and someone who had insulted the SEAL's very background. But Steve, who always managed to surprise Danny, just walked past. For a brief second he eyed the women, then let out a sad and submissive sigh. He walked out the door and presumably towards the Camaro.

"A sir?"

Danny started to see the kid holding out his sandwich (finally) and a receipt.

"Thanks," Danny murmured distractedly.

He walked forward, ready to go after his partner and just have his lunch in the car.

But that women, was still talking, and _lying._

"I am telling you! They are no different then criminals! These people are future criminals who have practically been trained how to kill!" The women slapped her hand down on the table to emphasize her point. A man across the room sighed and rolled his eyes.

Danny also wanted to sigh and then tape the women's mouth shut.

Suddenly it was simply too much.

Steve had served in the navy. His partner, his _brother for god's sake,_ had served, was in special ops missions. Was one of the greatest and kindest men Danny had known. His great abilities and skills were in par with his compassion and genuine value of human life. Hadn't Steve done so much for Danny without asking for anything in return? Lying to the FBI, watching Grace, supporting Danny when Rachel became unbearable. And yet what this woman implied, _that Danny's own brother was a criminal without value for human life?_

unnaccetable.

Passion and a sudden protectiveness for his partner suddenly fueled him. Because if Steve was not going to defend himself, Danny would.

Danny walked over and put his sandwich on an empty table. He then stalked over to the table the women was sitting at and crossed his arms.

"OKAY!" Danny interrupted loudly, effectively cutting off the woman. The previous listeners looked to Danny curiously. "First off, I think you are completely and utterly wrong," Danny pointed his finger at the women, who raised her eyebrows.

"Excuse me-" She began, only to be cut off.

"Ah! No. please and thank you." Danny waved his hands to get his point across. Because this woman could not and would not out-rant him. Nobody could.

Danny narrowed his eyes, thinking of the way his partner had quietly walked away, as though he hadn't thought it was worth defending himself.

"You," he seethed, "You have _no right_ to talk about anyone, _anyone_ in the armed forces like that. Not when they have gone and laid their life on the line to help others."

"I think I am entitled to my own opinion," the women smoothly replied.

"Oh no. nuh uh. You see, you are, But, earlier if I am correct, you said that those who served are criminals, that they didn't fit into society and that they are _killers!"_

"Yes," the woman hummed out annoyingly calm. Oh, Danny could see what she was doing here.

"But, I would know the difference between criminals and military. And let me tell you. There is a _huge difference._ Criminals have their gain in mind only. But those people? Those people that go and serve? They do it for their damn country. They protect lives in and outside! So really you my friend need to differentiate between the two." His hands moved up in down in tune to his anger, as voice dropped an octave lower.

The woman stared at him, "Then those stuff we read in the papers? Every now in then? Huh?" She was becoming desperate, Danny could see. Her argument was wobbling and Danny was going to push right at it's foundation to completely collapse it.

"Please. There are bad eggs in every field. But for you to say that they all are killers? Completely and utter nonsense! That doesn't make everyone killers! That is NOT the point of the military! It's point is to protect and fight. A few goddamn cases don't define the entire armed forces!" Danny could feel his hands shake as he dragged out his point.

His opponent, because that was what that woman was now, she was pursing her lips. Her argument probably sounded stupid to her own ears now. At least Danny hoped.

The detective looked around and realized that the other customers were nodding.

"Did you serve sir?" The man who had earlier rolled his eyes piped up.

Danny snorted, wishing Steve was here to hysterically laugh off the mere suggestion of such a thing,

He shook his head. "No. Uh, actually my partner did. He's more like a best friend though." Danny's last part was murmured to himself as he shook his head.

He suddenly frowned at the woman who was sitting quietly, "He. He, _my_ friend was sitting there, not a few minutes ago," Danny waved behind him vaguely, voice _trembling_ with sheer emotion. "And you know what, I was at the cashier and my friend? He probably heard every one of those hateful words. And let me tell you, _ma'am._ He, my friend was a SEAL. _He_ has SAVED so many lives outside and inside the country. _And let me tell you._ He fits into society just fine. He is _nowhere_ near a criminal. In fact, he has saved countless live here as well! He genuinely values human life so much that I-" Danny stopped suddenly catching his breath, thinking of the way steve disregarded his own lifeand missing how his audience was staring at him open mouthed and eagerly.

Sighing the detective put his hands on his hips. "And if you don't believe that?" Danny said in a softer voice, "If you don't, then I want you to realize, despite he heard all those stuff he just walked out so he didn't have to hear it anymore, rather than create a commotion to defend himself. So, if you are calling people like _him a criminal and a killer,_ I… I don't really know what to say _ma'am."_ Danny paused catching his breath before continuing, " _Look,_ Don't support war, I understand that, but the people who are trying and ARE helping? Support or at least respect them. Especially if this is what _my friend_ and other people who served hear _this_ as their thanks…"

Danny suddenly trailed off as the restaurant seemed to explode in applause. And damn it if his throat didn't close up. Looking around stunned, Danny caught a glimpse through the window, of Steve walking back towards the restaurant. The SEAL stopped and subtly tapped his watch on his wrist to indicate the time.

Danny grinned at the dying applause.


End file.
